International reach
Located in the centre of Paris, the Centre Culturel Irlandais is an international crossroads where the shared island of Ireland meets the rest of the world.
Located in the centre of Paris, the Centre Culturel Irlandais is an international crossroads where the shared island of Ireland meets the rest of the world.
The CCI is a place of inspiration where connections are made and artists have access to renowned cultural institutions and ambitious performances in a global cultural capital.
International connections - Presidency of FICEP and member of EUNIC
CCI director Nora Hickey M’Sichili is the current President of FICEP (Forum des Instituts Culturels Etrangers à Paris). Unique in the world, this Forum unites 55 different countries’ cultural institutes from Latin America, the Mediterranean, Europe, Russia, Asia, the Far East and the Middle East. This allows the CCI to lead the organisation of FICEP’s cross-cultural international festivals as well as allowing artists and curators present at the CCI to immediately tap into a network of international organisations.
The CCI is also an active member of EUNIC, the EU National Insitutes for Culture, in Paris.
French connections and partnerships
Over the last 20 years, the CCI has built up connections and partnerships with a myriad of organisations in France and further afield, from the neighbouring Université Sorbonne Nouvelle - Paris 3, Ecole normale supérieure (ENS) and Ecole nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs (ENSAD) to the prestigious Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) and numerous editors such as Belfond, Albin Michel, Sabine Wespieser éditeur, Gallimard... We have a longstanding relationship with the Marché de la Poésie, Paris l'été and Dinard Festival du Film Britannique and have just intiated a new collaboration with the Musée Tomi Ungerer. From the Athénée Théâtre Louis-Jouvet, Théâtre de la Ville and Philharmonie de Paris to the Cartoucherie, Le Mouffetard and cinema Les 3 Luxembourg, CCI has organised events with many major French cultural partners.
A vital Irish cultural resource
The CCI is a trailblazing part of the network of Irish cultural organisations inaugurated by the Irish government.
A vital cultural resource supporting Ireland’s diaspora and diplomatic missions, the CCI collaborates with a wealth of partners for celebrations such as the centenary of the birth of writer Brendan Behan in 2023 and, in 2024, the centenary of Ireland's participation in the Olympic Games as well as the annual celebrations of Saint Patrick’s Day.
International artist residents at the CCI
The CCI is building relationships in order to broaden the profile of artists that spend time at the CCI. This will allow Irish and Ireland-based artists to spend time with their international contemporaries… conversations can start over a cup of coffee and lead to the most exciting collaborations.
- The University of Kent Paris School of Arts and Culture and American University of Paris award an annual one-month CCI residency to an anglophone writer of any origin.
- The CCI has inaugurated an international theatre residency for theatre-makers which will see four practitioners from Lithuania, Portugal, Greece and Ireland spending one month here at the CCI. Our partners are Abbey National Theatre (Dublin); Vilnius International Theatre Festival (Sirenos), Vsi Teatro informacijos centras (Lithuania), Lithuanian Cultural Centre (Paris); Camões – Centro Cultural Português (Paris), Teatro Nacional Dona Maria II (Portugal); Centre Culturel Hellénique (Paris), National Theatre of Greece (Athens).
Awards to support Franco-Irish relations
The CCI has created two biannual awards to support Franco-Irish cultural relations:
the Prix de Thèse is awarded for a doctoral thesis in French on an Irish-related subject and the Prix de Traduction is awarded to the translator of a work of fiction by an Irish author who is as yet unknown in France.